Carrier for bottles and other articles



Nov. 4, 1947. w. A. RINGLER 2543 9 CARRIER FOR BOTTLES AND 95am ARTICLES7 Filed Oct. 4, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 4, 1947. w. A. RINGLER2,430,302

CARRIER FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed Oct. 4, 1944 2-Sheets-She'et 2 INVENTOR. [fizz an 4. lfuyc; cur.

svaa w w QT TORN EYS- Patented Nov. 4, 19 47 CARRIER FOR BOTTLES ANDARTICLES OTHER William A. Ringler, Wayne, Pa., assignor' to TheGardner-Richardson Company, Middletown, I

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 4,1944, Serial No.557,081

My invention relates to carriers, and in particular to sling-typecarriers .having endwall straps. One kind of such carriers is describedin Patent 2,335,197, in my name, issued November 23, 1943. A principalobject of 'this invention is the provisionof improvements in structuresof this class.

A more specific object is the provision of a knocked-down or collapsiblecarrier of which all wall parts are attached together'in the structureas manufactured and shipped, obviating the shipment and use of separatedwall parts and their interfitting during the operation of setting up thecarrier.

Another object is the provision of a collapsible carrier which issimpler and easier to erect.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a carrier which,when erected, is characterized by greater stability, and which willmaintain its erected condition whether filled or 3 empty.

These and other objects of the invention which will be pointedouthereinafter, or will be clear to one skilled in the art upon readingthese specifications, I accomplish by that construction and arrangementof parts of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment.Reference is made to the drawings forming a part hereof and. wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a body blank for my structure.

Figure 2 is a partial plan view showing the fold-. ing of top portionsof the side Walls for reenforcement.

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the attachment of the end strap members.

, Figure 4 is an elevational view of one type of handle member which maybe employed.

Figure 5 is a plan view of an end strap member.

Figure 6 shows one form of the collapsed structure.

Figure 7 shows in plan a step incident to erection. O

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the erected structure.

The body blank is an elongated piece of box board or other suitableflexible material indicated at I in Figure 1. Centrally of the blank apair of score lines 2 and 3 demark a bottom wall 4 from side wallmembers 5 and 6.

The blank as shown is rectangular in general configuration; and theouter ends of the side wall members are provided with diagonal scorelines I and 8 or 9 and I. These score lines permit triangular portions5a and 5b or to and ti), of the a 8 Claims. (01. 224-45) side walls tobe folded over, as shown in Figure 2.v

The precise angularity of the diagonal score lines is-not a limitationand will be governed by the desired shape and height of top portions ofthe side walls. It may be preferred, as shown, to cause, these scorelines to meet at a point inwardly of the extreme ends of the blank andto notch the blank to meet the Juncture of the score lines as indicatedat II and I2. The purpose of this is to provide an overlap of thetriangular portions when folded as shown in Figure 2. This overlap maybeemployed with a'suitable -applica- 1 tion of. adhesive tosecure thetriangular folded portions in place. ,As set forth hereinafter, however,other means may be used with or without adhesive union.

the stacking of filled carriers.

To permit collapsing, I provide the bottom wall panel t with a centralscore line l3.

.Notches Hi are provided in the side edges of the side walls preferablyslightly inwardly of the termination of the diagonal score lines. Thesenotches serve as retaining means for end wall straps hereinafter to bedescribed. Consequently, the length of these notches will be such as toaccept the end wall straps snugly, i. e., the length of the notches willpreferably be approximately the same as the width of the end wallstraps. The notches themselves will be spaced from the edges of thebottom wallpanel sufiiciently to enable the end wall straps eificientlyto retain articles in the carrier.

An end wall strap is indicated at H5 in Figure 5. It is an elongated andnarrow strip of box board or other flexible material, preferablyprovided with a central transverse score lin l6 and other outlying scorelines I1 and I8 which in the completed and erected structure will fallat approximately the pointswhere the end wall straps engage in thenotches I4.

Sling type bottle carriers have heretofore been provided with end wallstraps; but these straps have either been separate elements which had tobe engaged with the side walls, 'as by inserting locking tongues inslits in the side walls, or else they have been formed from the sidewalls themselves, thereby weakening the side walls. I have found that itis possible to provide end'wall strap members in a sling type carrierand by proper selection of the various dimensions. attach these endstraps to the side walls pivotally, but permanently, to obtain astructure which is both collapsible and easy to erect.

When the blanks have been formed, the first operation is the folding andsecuring or'the triangular side wall members as has already beendescribed in part and illustrated in Figure 2. The triangular portionsmay be adhesively secured to each other or to the side walls or both.Where a handle member such as that hereinafter described is to be used,it is convenient to provide a grommet is near the apex of the foldedside walls. This not only serves to receive the hook like ends of abail-like handle formed in part at least of wire. but it may also be themeans for securing the triangular-portions in folded condition.

As a next step, as illustrated in Figure 3, two

of the strap members i in superposed condition are placed upon the bodyblank I and are pivotally fastened to it at points and 2|. Thisfastening is conveniently done by means of grommets; but it may beaccomplished by any suitable means productive of a pivotal connection.The position of the pivot points 20 and 2| is important. The end wallwidth of the erected carrier will of course be the same as the width ofthe bottom wall 4; but it is necessary that the pivot point 20 not onlylie midway between the notches N in the side wall 5, but also that thedistancebetween the pivot point 20 and the edge oithe bottom wall be thesame as the distance between the pivot point 20 and the bottom of eithernotch 14. Actual distances will vary of course, with the size and shapeor different carriers; but by varying the distance of the notches M fromthe edges of the bottom panel the re.- quirements set forth above canreadily be met in bottle carriers and in carriers for most articles. Onereason for the noted requirements is that when they are met, the strapmembers [5 will lie flat upon the flat body blank as shown in Figure 3.

In carriers which are very long in relation to their height, it isconvenient to mark or perforate both the body blank and the strapmembers and to employ strap members in which the length between thepivot points 20 and 2| is not the same as the corresponding lengthbetween the same points on the body blank. In this event, the strapsmust be attached to the body blank when the blank is in other than afiat condition. But where the distance between the pivot points 20 and2! is the same both for the body blank and the straps, the operation ofattaching the straps is conveniently performed by a simple mechanismhaving a work table with means for positioning the body blanks and apair of grommeting devices permanently located so as to apply grommetsat points 20 and H. The straps l5 are then superposed and placed on thebody blank in such position that they will be caught by the grommets. Nomarking is necessary.

The structure thus produced may be folded over as shown in Figure 6, thebody blank bending on score line l3 and the straps bending 0n scorelines Hi. If there is binding, the bottom panel may be collapsedinwardly while the straps are collapsed outwardly. The illustratedknocked down structure of Figure 6 is a convenient one for shipment andstorage.

When it is desired to erect the structure, the

pivoted straps are swung oppositely and posii tioned in alignment withthe notches ll as shown in Figure 7. When the side wall members are.drawn apart with a concurrent flattening of the I and 18. This providesa structure as shown in Figure 8.

A handle such as shown in Figure 4 may then be attached to thestructure. The handle comprises a wire member 22 with a cylindricalhandle part 23 over the p P rtion. The 'ends of the wire are bent toform books 24 and 25 which can be engaged in the grommets l9 and I911 asshown;

My structure is not limited to the use of such a handle. Strap-likehandles of box board or other material may be provided with means forengagement with the reenforced upper portions of the side walls. Handlesof box board, woven or braided tape. heavy cord-or the like may beattached to the reeniorced portions of the side walls. This may be doneduring the manufacture of the carrier and after it has been collapsed asin Figure 6, giving a complete structure with no unattached parts.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from thespirit of it.

Having thus described my invention in an exemplary embodiment, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a structure of the class described, a body blank having a centralbottom wall panel and outlying side wall panels erectable with respectto the bottom wall panel, and a pair of strap members pivoted to theside wall panels at points spaced from the edges of the bottom wallpanel and intermediate the edges of the said side wall panels, the saidstrap members having central portions equivalent in length to the widthof the bottom panel and outlying portions of a length to extend to thesaid pivot points when said strap members are erected to form end wallstraps fo the structure.

the said straps-are superposed and wherein the distance between the saidpivot points is the same for said straps and for the body blank.

3. The structure claimed in claim 1, wherein the said straps aresuperposed and wherein the distance between the said pivot points is thesame for said straps and for the body blank, and wherein the side edgesof the said side walls are notched to accept said straps in the erectedstructure, the said pivot points being located midway between saidnotches.

4. The structure claimed in claim 1, wherein the said straps aresuperposed and wherein the distance between the said pivot points is thesame for said straps and for the body blank, and wherein the side edgesof the said side walls are notched to accept said straps in the erectedstructure, the said pivot points being located midway between saidnotches, and wherein upper triangular portions of the said side wallsare folded over and attached to the said side walls.

5. In a bottle carrier or the like, an elongated box board blank, cutand scored to provide a central bottom wall panel and outlying side wallpanels a pair of strap members in superposed position lying centrallyand longitudinally of said blank, the said strap members beingconjointly grommeted to said side walls at points equidistant from theside edgesoi said bottom panel and the edges of said side wall panels.

6. In a bottle carrier or the like, an elongated boxboard blank, cut andscored to provide a position lying centrally and longitudinally 01' saidblank, the said strap members being conjointly grommeted to said sidewalls at points equidistant from the side edges of said bottom panel andthe edges of said side wall panels, the said structure being collapsedon a score line intermediate the side edges of the bottom-panel and onscore lines intermediate the ends of said straps.

'l. The structure claimed in claim 6, in which the edges oi said sidewalls are notched to receive said straps.

8. The structure claimed in claim 6, in which the edges of said sidewalls are notched to receive said straps, and in which outer triangularcomer portions of said side walls are folded over 1 Number to providereentorcements and srommeted for the reception of a handle member.

WILLIAM A. RINGLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

